PassMark CPU Mark evaluates processor speed through complex mathematical computations. It provides a reliable metric to compare multi-core performance, where higher scores indicate faster processing for multitasking, gaming, and heavy workloads.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, productivity performance, platform differences, power efficiency, pricing context, and upgrade path so you can see which CPU actually makes more sense.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +36.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon D-1733NT needs a discrete GPU.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 14,849).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 15 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-1733NT, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 49.5 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
❌79.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 53W.

Xeon D-1733NT

2022

Why buy it

✅+3.1% higher PassMark.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads.
✅Costs $85 less on MSRP ($300 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 32.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 49.5 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($300 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Core i7-9700K

2018

Xeon D-1733NT

2022

Why buy it

✅Better for gaming: +36.7% higher average FPS across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
✅100+% more PCIe lanes (16 vs 0) for storage and expansion-heavy builds.
✅Integrated graphics onboard with UHD Graphics 630, while Xeon D-1733NT needs a discrete GPU.

Why buy it

✅+3.1% higher PassMark.
✅+25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB).
✅Better for workstations and heavier parallel workloads: 8 cores / 16 threads.
✅Costs $85 less on MSRP ($300 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).
✅Delivers 32.4% more PassMark for each dollar spent, at 49.5 vs 37.4 PassMark/$ ($300 MSRP vs $385 MSRP).

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark (14,397 vs 14,849).
❌Smaller total L3 cache (12 MB vs 15 MB).
❌Less compelling for workstation-style loads than Xeon D-1733NT, which brings 8 cores / 16 threads.
❌Lower PassMark per dollar, at 37.4 vs 49.5 PassMark/$ ($385 MSRP vs $300 MSRP).
❌79.2% higher power demand at 95W vs 53W.

Trade-offs

❌Worse for gaming: lower average FPS than Core i7-9700K across 50 shared CPU benchmark tests.
❌No integrated graphics, while Core i7-9700K can still boot and troubleshoot without a discrete GPU.

Quick Answers

So, is Xeon D-1733NT better than Core i7-9700K?

Not in a simple one-size-fits-all way. Xeon D-1733NT makes more sense for workstation-style multi-core throughput, while Core i7-9700K is the better mainstream desktop choice for gaming, platform cost, and day-to-day practicality.

Which one is better for streaming, content creation, and heavy multitasking?

For streaming, content creation, and heavier multitasking, Xeon D-1733NT is the better fit. You are getting 3.1% better PassMark, backed by 8 cores and 16 threads. It also carries the larger cache pool with 25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB).

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper CPU?

Xeon D-1733NT is the smarter buy today. Xeon D-1733NT is $85 cheaper on MSRP at $300 MSRP versus $385 MSRP, and it gives you 3.1% better PassMark. The trade-off is that Core i7-9700K is still the better pure gaming CPU with a 36.7% average FPS lead across 50 shared CPU game tests in our data. It is also 32.4% better value on MSRP (49.5 vs 37.4 PassMark/$), so the better CPU is not just faster, it is also the cleaner value play on paper.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

Xeon D-1733NT is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer CPU generation (2022 vs 2018), 25% larger total L3 cache (15 MB vs 12 MB), and more multi-core headroom with 8 cores / 16 threads instead of 8/8. That extra compute headroom should age better as games, background tasks, and creator workloads get heavier.

Games Benchmarks

Paired with RTX 4090

To accurately isolate CPU performance, all benchmarks below use an NVIDIA RTX 4090 as the reference GPU. This eliminates GPU-side bottlenecks and highlights pure processing throughput differences between the CPUs.

Note: Real-world results may vary based on your actual GPU. CPU performance impact is more visible in processing-intensive titles and high-refresh-rate gaming scenarios.

Core i7-9700K Benchmark Check

Xeon D-1733NT Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1733NT
1080p
low	308 FPS	177 FPS
medium	278 FPS	144 FPS
high	231 FPS	117 FPS
ultra	182 FPS	94 FPS
1440p
low	270 FPS	143 FPS
medium	221 FPS	114 FPS
high	178 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	143 FPS	71 FPS
4K
low	170 FPS	68 FPS
medium	140 FPS	57 FPS
high	108 FPS	45 FPS
ultra	95 FPS	36 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon D-1733NT

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1733NT
1080p
low	360 FPS	159 FPS
medium	321 FPS	139 FPS
high	291 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	259 FPS	98 FPS
1440p
low	324 FPS	139 FPS
medium	282 FPS	126 FPS
high	258 FPS	113 FPS
ultra	225 FPS	90 FPS
4K
low	249 FPS	101 FPS
medium	221 FPS	94 FPS
high	208 FPS	83 FPS
ultra	179 FPS	65 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon D-1733NT

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1733NT
1080p
low	360 FPS	371 FPS
medium	360 FPS	371 FPS
high	360 FPS	371 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	371 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	371 FPS
medium	360 FPS	371 FPS
high	360 FPS	371 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	345 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	371 FPS
medium	360 FPS	322 FPS
high	360 FPS	274 FPS
ultra	318 FPS	220 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon D-1733NT

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1733NT
1080p
low	360 FPS	371 FPS
medium	360 FPS	371 FPS
high	360 FPS	371 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	371 FPS
1440p
low	360 FPS	371 FPS
medium	360 FPS	371 FPS
high	360 FPS	371 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	371 FPS
4K
low	360 FPS	371 FPS
medium	360 FPS	371 FPS
high	360 FPS	358 FPS
ultra	360 FPS	309 FPS

Open Core i7-9700K Open Xeon D-1733NT

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of Core i7-9700K and Xeon D-1733NT

Core i7-9700K

The Core i7-9700K is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 19 October 2018 (7 years ago). It is based on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. It features 8 cores and 8 threads. Base frequency is 3.6 GHz, with boost up to 4.9 GHz. L3 cache: 12 MB (total). L2 cache: 256K (per core). Built on 14 nm process technology. Socket: LGA1151. Thermal design power (TDP): 95 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,397 points. Launch price was $374.

Xeon D-1733NT

The Xeon D-1733NT is manufactured by Intel. It was released in 2015-01-01. It features 8 cores and 16 threads. Base frequency is 2 GHz, with boost up to 3.1 GHz. L3 cache: 15 MB. Built on 10 nm process technology. Socket: FCBGA2227. Thermal design power (TDP): 53 Watt. Memory support: DDR4. Passmark benchmark score: 14,849 points. Launch price was $800.

⚡

Processing Power

The Core i7-9700K packs 8 cores / 8 threads, matching the Xeon D-1733NT's 8 cores. Boost clocks reach 4.9 GHz on the Core i7-9700K versus 3.1 GHz on the Xeon D-1733NT — a 45% clock advantage for the Core i7-9700K (base: 3.6 GHz vs 2 GHz). The Core i7-9700K is built on the Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019) architecture. In PassMark, the Core i7-9700K scores 14,397 against the Xeon D-1733NT's 14,849 — a 3.1% lead for the Xeon D-1733NT. L3 cache: 12 MB (total) on the Core i7-9700K vs 15 MB on the Xeon D-1733NT.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1733NT
Cores / Threads	8 / 8	8 / 16
Boost Clock	4.9 GHz+58%	3.1 GHz
Base Clock	3.6 GHz+80%	2 GHz
L3 Cache	12 MB (total)	15 MB+25%
L2 Cache	256K (per core)	—
Process	14 nm	10 nm-29%
Architecture	Coffee Lake-R (2018−2019)	—
PassMark	14,397	14,849+3%

🧠

Memory & Platform

The Core i7-9700K uses the LGA1151 socket (PCIe 3.0), while the Xeon D-1733NT uses FCBGA2227 (PCIe 4.0) — making them incompatible on the same motherboard.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1733NT
Socket	LGA1151	FCBGA2227
PCIe Generation	PCIe 3.0	PCIe 4.0+33%
Max RAM Speed	DDR4-2666	—
Max RAM Capacity	128 GB	—
RAM Channels	2	—
ECC Support	No	—
PCIe Lanes	16	—

🔧

Advanced Features

Virtualization: VT-x, VT-d (Core i7-9700K) / not specified (Xeon D-1733NT). The Core i7-9700K includes integrated graphics (UHD Graphics 630), while the Xeon D-1733NT requires a dedicated GPU. Primary use case: Core i7-9700K targets Desktop.

Feature	Core i7-9700K	Xeon D-1733NT
Integrated GPU	Yes	—
IGPU Model	UHD Graphics 630	—
Unlocked	Yes	—
AVX-512	No	—
Virtualization	VT-x, VT-d	—
Target Use	Desktop	—

💰

Value Analysis

The Core i7-9700K launched at $385 MSRP, while the Xeon D-1733NT debuted at $300. On MSRP ($385 vs $300), the Xeon D-1733NT is $85 cheaper. In terms of value on MSRP (PassMark points per dollar), the Core i7-9700K delivers 37.4 pts/$ vs 49.5 pts/$ for the Xeon D-1733NT — making the Xeon D-1733NT the 27.9% better value option.